Thursday, April 25, 2013

Each day I check for signs of growth. Some bushes are starting to sprout the beginnings of leaves. It is a time of greening. Sun, rain and longer days are nurturing new growth. Wouldn't it be nice if it were so easy to identify the elements to help students grow? But education does not have an easy formula and is certainly not one way for all.

Monday, April 22, 2013

What a difference 100 km (about 60 miles) and some moderate mountains makes! It is like going back in season. We went to the Laurentians for a couple of days - to Trout Lake near Ste-Agathe. Spring is taking a tentative hold, but the ice is not ready to leave the lake. On the south-facing side of the lake, much of the snow has melted, but the other side still has plenty of snow.

A hardy heron hunts hopefully at the edge of the lake, the only spot that is free of ice. I don't know how those skinny legs can abide the frigid water.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

What you can't see in this photograph is what intrigued me. I was at a concert by Arion. The soloist was David Breitman, a fortepiano player. For the second half of the concert he played as part of the orchestra. Arion is a baroque orchestra - playing on period instruments (instruments that would have been played at the time the music was composed) as well as using techniques (e.g. a different bowing style) of the time. A fortepiano is a precursor to the piano. Breitman walked out with a tablet, not a paper score. He had a foot pedal with which he advanced the pages. Of course this is easier with a fortepiano as there are no pedals on the instrument. It was an odd juxtaposition, but the music was really what it was all about - and that was lovely.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

I was listening to CBC 1 - a discussion about gold. I learned about Operation Fish. During the Second World War, Churchill ordered Britain's gold reserves as well as negotiable securities to be packed into crates and shipped to Canada, despite the danger of U-boats. It arrived in Halifax and from there the securities travelled here. They were stored in vaults below the Sunlife Building while the gold was stored in Ottawa at the Bank of Canada. In this way Britain was able to sell securities to pay for the war effort (the US liked to be paid - no armaments on credit!).

I shudder to think what would have happened if one of those ships had been torpedoed. You can learn more about the Sunlife Building here.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

It could have been worse. They were predicting up to 20 cm but some of it fell as rain. Many are disgruntled, but warmer weather is predicted so this will melt fairly quickly. But in the meantime, it's back to boots. Great pools of slush are accumulating.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

On the way to and from the butterfly exhibit we passed through a greenhouse with bonsais. Montreal has a large collection. Only a small part of the collection resides here. Most are in a pavilion that is only open starting in May. Each year I say I must go back.

I always find it interesting that we are so fascinated with things in miniature. I remember taking my (then fairly young children) to Madurodam in The Netherlands. We walked like giants around the miniaturized sampling of Dutch life. There, too, the plant life was coaxed into miniature versions of the normal larger forms.

I admire those with the patience and knowledge to maintain these trees (this one is 55 years old). It is definitely a work of love.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

It's almost impossible to catch the blue morphos' magnificent iridescent blue exterior. They flit around so quickly and once they land they fold up their wings.

Here are more of the butterflies we saw.

The varieties and patterns are extraordinary.

These are actually moths. They are more active at night. They are quite large as you can see below in comparison to one of the butterflies.

The butterflies have normal life cycles - here are monarchs mating. When we looked carefully (with the help of a person working there) we saw some eggs, a few caterpillars from a few species of butterflies as well as a chrysalis.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Every year the Botanical Gardens has a butterfly exhibit: Butterflies Go Free. What a treat when the outdoor scene is devoid of bright colours and when the wind makes walking outside bitter. I enjoyed my brief stop in the tropics - even if it was artificial.

The butterflies fluttered by. Landing on their spindly legs they enjoyed the warmth.

Some rested with their lacy wings outstretched, while others closed their wings and hid their brilliant colours.

The Monarch is common in Quebec in summer. Their astonishing migration is a concern for all as their winter area has been threatened by logging. I would hate to think that the yearly exhibit will become the only place to see them.